Good earphones for a player

More recently, it was considered prestigious to turn on the volume of the player so that everyone in the area would hear what kind of music you like, and everyone would know how cool your equipment is. Today, everything is exactly the opposite, and the point is not in changing tastes and manners, but in technological progress. Today, thousands of music libraries can be placed in a small digital storage device and listen to your favorite tunes anywhere, anytime. Thanks to a personal device for listening to music and headphones, we can plunge into the world of sounds without disturbing other people. It's no secret that good headphones for the player affect not only the listening comfort, but also the playback quality. Today we will tell you how to choose headphones for the player according to their operational properties, because very often headphones come with the player that do not give decent sound.

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Why do you need good headphones for the player?

It seems to many consumers that choosing such an insignificant accessory does not require much effort. However, a variety of sound-reproducing devices having different technical characteristics requires appropriate gadgets. In addition, the case is complicated by the individual characteristics of users.

The approach to choosing headphones must be serious, otherwise there can be unpleasant consequences, namely:

• No high or low sounds.
• Inconvenience with long use of the accessory.
• Extraneous noise and weak sound.

Important! All these consequences will ultimately negatively affect the user's hearing. Therefore, we conclude: you need to choose good-quality and comfortable-to-wear headphones for the player, which are capable of reproducing pleasant and rich sound from the source without loss of frequencies in the entire range.

Advice:

1. Do not try to attach sensitive and expensive monitors for powerful stationary acoustics to a standard player with limited sound transmission capabilities. The effect will be exactly the opposite.
2. When choosing a gadget, you should not rely only on the specified technical parameters, since their effect on sound transmission is conditional and relative in most cases. Better take a sound source with you and try the selected model not only at work, but also in terms of comfort.

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What are modern headphones?

The market is filled with various models of “head monitors”, and choosing the appropriate option can be very difficult. To facilitate this process, we will try to classify existing headphones by type, purpose and characteristics.

Headphone Types

All “head monitors” are conditionally divided into the following types:

• Inserts (droplets). The smallest.
• Plug-in, vacuum (plugs).
• False "ears" with a special mount. Overhead products allow you to hear sounds from the outside and safer for eardrums.
• Monitor. Used by workers in the music industry. The sound quality is just fantastic thanks to the huge membrane.

This classification is based on how close the monitor speaker is to the ear itself. Therefore, each type of headphone has its pros and cons. Consider each type of device in more detail.

Inserts

Headphones have this name due to the fact that they are inserted into the auricle. Monitors are held in the ear due to the force of elasticity.

Advantages of the device:

• Compactness. Do not require a lot of space.
• Low price.

Disadvantages:

• When moving, they periodically fall out, since the droplets are standard in diameter, and the shape of the ear is different for all people.
• Low frequencies are poorly reproduced due to their small size.
• Weak soundproofing.
• They create tremendous pressure on the eardrum.

Important! Droplets are most often sold as a burden on phones. They are best suited for people who are unpretentious in sound quality.

Vacuum headphones

Soft silicone tips fix the speaker inside the ear canal.

pros

They are much better than liners and have a number of advantages:

• Do not fall out of your ear when moving.
• The sound quality is much higher.
• They have a deep soundproofing level. In these headphones, a person is literally immersed in sound.

Important! Vacuum headphones are relevant in noisy places: in the subway, in the metropolis, in the train.

• Compact. Save space in your pocket or bag.
• They have good acoustic characteristics. Headphones have powerful bass, which is why they are so popular among music lovers.

Important! You can listen to music both from the player and from the phone.

The disadvantages of the device:

• Create a significant load on the hearing aid.
• The likelihood of hearing loss due to proximity to the membrane.
• Unpleasant physical sensations with prolonged wear.
• Inadequate level of safety with active traffic.

Over-ear headphones

False "ears" are very diverse. You can choose headphones for the player, both closed and open, with a traditional headband or small occipital arch.

Important! Very often, “overhead monitors” have built-in Bluetooth, which makes it possible to use them wirelessly with cell phones.

pros

Regardless of the design features, on-ear headphones have the following advantages:

• A special mount ensures a stable working position.
• Better sound due to the larger diameter of the speakers.
• Soundproofing is good enough.
• Safer for eardrum.
• Soft pads protect your ears from being squeezed.

Cons of the device:

• Not always convenient to operate.

Important! On-ear headphones are perfect for a music lover to listen to music from the player, as well as tablet owners or gamers, as they have good sound insulation.

Monitor headphones

Full-size headphones fully cover the ears. Devices are divided into two types:

• Open. They have the most atmospheric sound panorama.
• Closed. Provide complete isolation from the outside world.

Important! As a rule, sound directors work in closed headphones, and open ones are the destiny of computer game lovers and music lovers listening to music on a computer.

The disadvantages of the device:

• Dimensions
• High price.

Wireless headphones

According to the method of sound transmission and connection, the headphones are divided into:

• Wired. “Head monitors” are connected to a computer or player using a wire.
• Wireless Connect to devices through a wireless channel, for example, a radio signal.

Important! Wireless monitors give some mobility of movement, but have a limited range. Another disadvantage is the low sound quality. So it is up to you to choose such headphones for the player or not.

If you want to lie on the couch and watch TV without disturbing others, then wireless monitors will come in handy. Or in the case when you are tired of extra wires, you can use wireless headphones, but then you should stock up on batteries, since the “head monitors” require additional power.

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Headphone Assignment

Having considered the main types of headphones, we will decide which option is intended for what. The choice of good headphones for the player also depends on this.Agree that a DJ in a radio studio will not work in droplets, and a person who decides to talk with a friend on Skype does not need studio headphones.

To choose headphones for the player, first decide on their purpose and listen to our tips:

1. If you have only a telephone or smartphone, and you are unpretentious to the sound quality, then choose plugs or droplets.
2. If you lead an active lifestyle and run in the mornings, like to listen to music from the player, then your choice is on-ear headphones.
3. If you are a gamer, or if you like to “get over it” while working at a computer, then buy full-size open headphones.
4. If you are professionally working with sound, then your choice is high-quality full-sized closed “ears”.

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Specifications

When deciding on the choice of good headphones, one cannot ignore the technical parameters that directly affect the sound quality.

Technical specifications include:

• Frequency. The indicator is measured in gigahertz.
• Sensitivity. This characteristic is responsible for the sound volume and is measured in decibels.
• Resistance. This parameter must be taken into account, depending on which technique you will use to play sound.
• Power. The indicator should correspond to the power of the player, otherwise - the battery will be quickly discharged.
• Distortion level. When playing sound, a certain level of distortion is allowed, which is measured in percent.

Of course, scrupulous to know and explore all the characteristics of the headphones is not necessary. But in order for your choice to be conscious, you must have at least a general idea.

frequency range

This parameter shows in which frequency range the sound will be produced. The sound quality directly depends on the width of the range - the wider, the better the sound quality. Physically, the relationship looks like this: the larger the membrane, the wider the frequency range.

The ordinary human ear hears frequencies from 15-16 Hz to 18-20 KHz. Everything below and above this range is the privilege of only a few people. Music lovers, of course, want to hear the entire existing spectrum that can catch a person’s ear. Usually manufacturers indicate extreme frequencies that go beyond the limits of human hearing. For example, from 5 to 22000 Hz. Hearing or feeling the extended range is unlikely to succeed. But it is precisely these characteristics that make it possible to hope that audible frequencies will be reproduced without loss.

Important! If you choose headphones for an MP3 player, frequencies from 20 Hz to 16 KHz will be sufficient.

Sensitivity

The indicator is important for people who love loud music. Almost all headphones provide sensitivity at 100 dB. If lower sensitivity values ​​are indicated, the music will sound quieter.

Sensitivity depends on the magnetic core used. The plugs and earbuds have a small diameter membrane and a low-power magnet, so these types of headphones have less sensitivity. However, due to the proximity of the monitor to the ear membrane, the sound volume is quite enough for a person.

Resistance

Resistance or impedance must be considered with respect to the technique used. For gadgets and portable equipment, the headphone impedance is 16-50 ohms.

Important! The meaning of impedance is that, the greater the resistance of the headphones, the more powerful the incoming signal is needed to swing the membrane. For example, high-impedance “head monitors” require a powerful sound source. Therefore, if you connect studio headphones with a resistance of 250 Ohms to a regular player, they will sound quiet and you will not get the necessary powerful sound.

Another regularity - the higher the resistance, the cleaner the sound. Therefore, low-impedance monitors may sound distorted, and high-impedance monitors may not sound very loud.

Advice:

1. For a portable player and a computer, headphones with a resistance of 32-80 Ohms are enough, for serious studio work - 200-300 Ohms and above.
2. The headphone impedance parameter for an MP3 player must not exceed 40 ohms. Such resistance will allow the player to produce optimal volume.

Power

The headphone power indicator should match the player’s power. If the power from the sound source exceeds the allowable for the monitor, then the headphones will fail.

Important! Typically, the headphone power range is from 1 mW to 5000 mW.

Distortion level

The harmonic distortion factor is important if you purchase branded, expensive headphones. The coefficient should be no more than 0.5%. Sound quality will be better if the distortion percentage is small.

Important! A figure above 0.5% indicates mediocre sound quality, which is typical for cheap devices.

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What else to look for when choosing headphones?

For ease of use, it is not superfluous to pay attention to such parameters:

• The weight. Vacuum headphones and earbuds weigh about 5-30 grams, overhead - 40-100 grams, monitor - 150-300 grams.
• The size. This parameter is also important for the convenience of using the device.
• Cable shape and length. The shape of the cable can be either round or flat. It is generally accepted that a flat cord is more convenient, as it gets less tangled and slips during operation. The length of the cord is matched to the height of the user. It should ensure freedom of movement of the owner.
• Plug size. Most mobile devices have a 3.5 mm jack, the head monitor plug should match this indicator. The shape of the plug is of two types: straight and L-shaped. The straight is comfortable to carry in your pocket, but prone to kinks. The L-shaped is bent at a right angle, which reduces the likelihood of damage.

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Headphone Tips:

• Do not chase the bass. All manufacturers know that consumers look at this criterion as the main one, which is why they increase the bass performance of devices. Of course, bass can be powerful, but not entirely natural.
• All technical specifications are always indicated on the box with the goods. First of all, pay attention to the indicators of sensitivity and resistance.

Important! Headphones for a portable player are best taken with a resistance of 16-40 Ohms - at a lower rate, you risk almost nothing to hear in the headphones.

• When choosing equipment and electronics, focus on trusted manufacturers. The chances of choosing the best headphones for an MP3 player will increase if you focus on brands such as: AKG, Sony, Philips, Koss, Audio-Technica, Sennheiser, Beyerdynamic.
• For a mobile device, choose the following types of headphones: in-ear inserts or open-type compact overheads. They will give a sufficient volume level and a pleasant, harmonious sound with minimal loss at the top and bottom.

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We hope that the above information helped you decide on the choice of headphones for the player, and now you can enjoy your favorite tunes anytime, anywhere. Enjoy the music!